WWE Raw – Aug 2nd 2021: Results & Review
Welcome to this week’s WWE Monday Night Raw review, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and… Other Me: No he’s not! I’m me! Me: Shut up! I’ll decide who is the f—kin’ Nathan! On this week’s show, we have a No Holds Barred Match between Nikki A.S.H. and Charlotte Flair, so that ought to be good. So, let’s get right… Other Me: You bastard! Untie me! Me: I’ll untie you when you stop being a s–t-house b–ch! Got an idea of when that is?! Other Me: What? Me: There ya go, sunshine. Raw starts… Other Me: I have to pee. Me: Piss your ass for all I care! Raw starts now!
[Author’s Note: Riddle, who’s rape case has been settled out of court, is still not officially deemed guilty or innocent in a court of law and if that alarms or upsets you, then viewer discretion is advised].
Match #1: Drew McIntyre b. Veer & Shanky – Handicap Match (DQ)
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Jinder Mahal stacked the deck against Drew McIntyre this time around, as The Scottish Warrior took on both Veer & Shanky in a Handicap Match. It didn’t take long for Mahal to join in on the attack, causing the disqualification and outnumbering McIntyre even further. When Mahal and his cohorts all lined up with steel chairs, McIntyre responded in a big way by wielding the mighty sword he named Angela after his mother, forcing the menacing trio to retreat.
The Verdict: 2 out of 10 – Boy, was this dull. Drew tried to make this exciting, but he couldn’t get this puppy to piss outside. Also, Drew tried to attack Jinder Mahal and the Jitter Boys after the match…with a sword. Jumping the shark just got a new standard of vulgarity to rise below of. I wouldn’t be too keen on watching this match. If you do, then go with God…or Molly Holly. Yeah, go with Molly Holly.
Match #2: Rhea Ripley b. Nia Jax
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Looking for a huge win ahead of SummerSlam, former Raw Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley went toe-to-toe with Nia Jax. Shayna Baszler looked to provide her partner with an assist, but it backfired, leading Ripley to roll up The Irresistible Force for the win.
The Verdict: 7 out of 10 – They got around eight minutes and it was working out quite well. Rhea was great, with her quick transitions and steady strikes. Nia is still no great wrestler, but there are certain things she can do with her body and she did them here to excellent effect. Quite frankly, the only thing keeping this match from doing more was that it ended just as things were getting good. Rhea won, should have won and did so with one of the best roll-ups in a long while, in that it was clever and actually made her look agile and intelligent. I was pretty pleased with this. Time was the only enemy of this bout.
Match #3: MACE & T-BAR b. Mansoor & Mustafa Ali
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Mansoor & Mustafa Ali set out to recapture the magic in their second outing as a tag team, tasked with a rematch against the powerful MACE & T-BAR. Mansoor & hometown hero Ali put forth another impressive effort, but this time MACE & T-BAR proved to be too much for them. After T-BAR defeated Mansoor with a vicious discus big boot, Ali berated his partner, only to turn around and be on the receiving end of some High Justice.
The Verdict: 2 out of 10 – Nothing happened here. What a waste of four people with skills worth investing a little more time into than they did here. Also, this is that 50/50 booking issue some many folks are upset about, or least annoyed with.
Match #4: Tamina b. Doudrop
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
With her partner Natalya recovering from surgery, WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Tamina marched into singles action against Eva Marie’s powerhouse, Doudrop. After a grueling matchup, Tamina pulled off a thunderous Samoan Drop to defeat Doudrop, much to the dismay of Eva Marie.
The Verdict: 3 out of 10 – There was an attempt by these two to have an excellent match, but having around three minutes will kinda kill those flowers right where they grow in the ground now won’t they? Tamina has found her niche as a brawler and is getting quite good at it. It’s a shame that Tamina didn’t get to show more of her brawling skills here, but at least we got a taste of it. Doudrop has plenty of ability, but since she is getting these mini bouts to work in, what can she do but simply go through the motions like every one else? Hey, they tried.
Match #5: Damian Priest b. John Morrison
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
After initially intending to issue an official challenge to United States Champion Sheamus, Damian Priest shifted his focus to The Miz & John Morrison during a heated exchange on “Miz TV.” The result was a match pitting The Archer of Infamy against America’s Moist Wanted that saw Priest pick up the win after sending Morrison South of Heaven.
The Verdict: 6 out of 10 – As usual, the potential was there, but when things get stopped short, you don’t get to see the full picture. Priest and Morrison worked hard to get nowhere, but the nowhere part is Vince’s fault. This match was fun, in that you had Priest’s power and Morrison’s aerialistics clashing in a stark spectacle, but it was too little to be everything promised.
Match #6: Damian Priest & Ricochet b. Sheamus & John Morrison
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
United States Champion Sheamus looked to quickly capitalize by attacking Damian Priest following his win over John Morrison, leading Ricochet to burst on the scene to even the odds. This resulted in an impromptu tag team match, which saw Priest & Ricochet gel to pick up the victory after Priest once again defeated Morrison, this time with the Reckoning.
The Verdict: 5 out of 10 – This was a teaser of a sample. Ricochet looked great here though, with Priest putting in another good performance in such short order. This was a good night for Priest, with two wins in a row. Morrison got sold out like Caitlynn Jenner’s c–k. I hear it’s a table leg in Munchkinland now. Okay. Enough of this match.
Match #7: Omos b. Riddle
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Riddle jumped all over the colossal Raw Tag Team Champion Omos to start off this match, needing every bit of offense he could possibly land to try and earn the victory. Omos was just too much for The Original Bro, laying him out with a devastating two-handed Chokeslam to earn the dominant victory.
The Verdict: 4 out of 10 – Omos is looking better and better and Riddle got squashed like a bug for Omos. There you go.
Match #8: Keith Lee b. Karrion Kross
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
NXT Champion Karrion Kross set out to make Keith Lee fall and pray for the second straight week, but Lee had other plans. The two men went to war in another hard-hitting encounter, but this time, Lee was able to hit his patented Spirit Bomb on the current NXT Champion on his way to a huge bounceback victory.
The Verdict: 6 out of 10 – This was less remarkable then their last match, but it had 50/50 booking, so that pissed me off. At Lee won something. Kross looked good here. The WWE house style compliments him very well. Overall, this was not bad.
Match #9: Reggie b. Akira Tozawa – 24/7 Championship Match
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Having successfully defended his 24/7 Championship against R-Truth and Chad Gable last week, Reggie was back at it, this time against former champion Akira Tozawa. In another impressive performance, the acrobatic champion used every ounce of quickness and agility in his arsenal to defeat Tozawa and remain 24/7 Champion.
The Verdict: 2 out of 10 – Reggie’s flips didn’t save this one this week. They looked cool, but you need more than that for a match. That being said, there was more evidence of Reggie actually getting more wrestling skills here, so this was not a total blunder. Akira deserves better than losing to Reggie. Poor ol Akira.
Match #10: (Main Event) Nikki A.S.H. b. Charlotte Flair – No Holds Barred Match
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
After Charlotte Flair vowed earlier in the night to destroy Nikki A.S.H. to the point where she might not even make it to SummerSlam, The Almost Superhero proved herself in a big way against The Queen. The Raw Women’s Champion went toe-to-toe with Flair in a brutal No Holds Barred Match which culminated in Flair careening through a table and A.S.H. hitting a rope-assisted suplex to finally score her one-on-one victory over the 11-time Women’s Champion.
The Verdict: 7 out of 10 – This was essentially one of those long squashes with a Vince Russo swerve at the end, but at least the swerve was for the right person and it was conclusive enough that it didn’t feel like just luck. Nikki took a beating and Charlotte got mad the whole time, which looked cool. I had a good time, but I’d like the champion to be booked a bit stronger before the victory next time. Hey, this was a good brawl though, if a bit one-sided most of the way.
Final Verdict: 5/10
On a night where Goldberg re-challenged Bobby Lashley and saved his son from MVP’s slander, this… Other Me: Hey! Let me out of this binding! Me: Shut up! I’ll deal with you later! This was a decent show. It’s a shame it couldn’t be great. Other Me: Yeah. You ain’t kidding. Next Me: I’m with you. First Two: Yeah. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!
